Highlights of San Jose, San Jose, Costa Rica

Hardly anyone budgets time for San Jose beyond an overnight stop on the way to other destinations in Costa Rica when the flight schedule dictates so. Spending time in the capital city in a country that is famous for its sun, sea, rainforests, and fauna sounds a bit wasteful.

That sentiment is not entirely undeserved. The city can never be mistaken for impressive. In fact, it looks decidedly not too well cared for, and with the absence of significant architectural monuments, it all combines into a feel of an underdeveloped city. Occasional visual highlights pop up here or there, but they are the exception to the rule (and a good portion of them show signs of neglect as well).

We did spend two nights - and therefore, about a day and a half - in San Jose on our recent trip to Costa Rica. A dedicated urban explorer will still find things of interest here, starting with the sampling of the eye-catching colonial architecture.

The last two shots depict the main post office. A curious parallel with the capital of the former colonial power: those who’ve been to Madrid would definitely recall Palacio Cibeles - formally, Palacio de Comunicaciones - as one of the standout edifices. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).